Monthly Archives: May 2014

My last post contained a music video called “Dronology 101: Tongue in Cheek – Drool on Desk” (scroll down to read) and prompted a couple of interesting responses from readers.In this post I want to start to address these remarks.You can read the comments by Charles and James by looking in the Replies Section to the Right.

I can’t tell you how many times I feel asleep while working on this music video; often waking up with a smile on my face at the irony of me falling asleep during an art piece that I hoped would capture the interest of an audience.Granted, unlike Charlie, I did not usually work on this after drinking coffee.For me, the video was a metaphor for the painful process of waking up (i.e. becoming perpetually mindful) in the Buddhist’s sense.So having practiced Zen for over 10 years, I identified with each and every one of the people and animals in thevideo.However, as an artist I am also interested in whether art and music can and should strive to induce mindfulness among viewers/listeners and this interest is behind the current series of posts.

Like Charlie, I have difficulty with most minimalist music, finding that I either tune it out and start thinking about something else, fall into reverie or physically fall asleep.On the other hand, like James, I like the use of drones if and when there is something else going on in the music.This, of course, is just my opinion and could see someone making the argument that even in the mostrepetitive of music, one should be able to mindfully find variety and nuisance enough to maintain their attention (See Langer’s take on “mindfulness by using the Search feature on this site).I once attended an Aftican Drum class where the instructor had each of us playing a simple repetitive pattern over and over.As a jazz drummer, I kept hearing complicated riffs that I wanted to play.Not being allow to do this I, at first, become bored and wanted to leave.However, after about 15 minutes of this process, I suddenly became aware of what other drummers were doing and how my simple part contributed to the larger whole.As I let go of my personal needs and interests, I shifted temporarily into a non-ordinary state of consciousness, a trance, to use a term that Charles brought up in his comment.

Because drones and repetitive drum patterns often accompany trance states in traditional societies, Westerner scholars have spent a lot of ink trying to account for the relationship between music and trance.Part of the problem is that the term “trance” has no universally agreed upon definition and the nature of the trance state (both external behavior and phenomenology) varies greatly from culture to culture. Efforts to find a universal psycho physiological marker of trance has lead onlyto the observation that in a trance a person is deeply relaxed but not asleep.Summaries of studies of the music-trance connection suggest that the most that can be said is that music can leadto trance if and when those participating (ie. playing instruments, singing, dancing or simply witnessing,) want to and expect to go into a trance. If you play a drone instrument within hearing distance of someone, for instance, they will not automatically go into a trance.

This is similar to hypnosis; a subject will go into a trance only if he or she allows that to happen. I once volunteered to be a subject in a classI was taking in hypnosis.The teacher guided me through a variety of relaxing procedures and I willingly allowed myself to become completely relaxed, although I was aware of the teacher’s voice and aware that other students were watching.Once relaxed, I felt very comfortable and did not worry about what I was going be asked to do or about what the others were thinking about me.The usual thought processes slowed down and although I was aware of the teacher’s voice, I felt like I was in a state of “semi-awareness” (to use the term in Dronology 101).At some point she told me that she was going to ask me my address and that I would not be able to remember it.I recall briefly thinking to myself something like: “I could remember that if I wanted to but it would take too much effort and would require moving out of this wonderful relaxed state”.So there was a conscious decision on my part to play along with the hypnotist’s request and not try to come up with my address, even if others might think that my inability to do so meant that I was deficient in some way.

As I said the term “trance” is not well defined and seems to refer to a wide range of situations where, temporarily, the usual left brain process slow down or stop completely. Since our left brain processes are responsible for how we define ourselves, we often strive to keep them going and view any shift away from their dominance as a cause for concern.This can happen in minor ways when we forget something we should know or do something absentmindedly.However, sometimes, more than most people acknowledge, we experience marked shifts of this nature.In Western culture, where left brain dominance is almost universally considered to be the norm, shifts in consciousness of this nature are viewed as signs of mental illness or procession or some other undesirable phenomenon.It is generally agreed that a person’s specific experience during such shifts of consciousness and their understanding and reaction to it afterwards, depends on their mental set and the setting during the incident.This idea was especially useful in understanding altered states attained by using psychotropic drugs, but has also been used to describe shifts occurring under non-drug induced situations.

With regard to “setting”, a person who has this kind of experience in a church may well experience it and understand it as a “religious” experience of some sort.In some cultures, such experiences a viewed as instances of possession by some foreign entity or spirit.In traditional societies where trance is common and accepted, it is not seen as a big deal.However, in the West, where there is no appropriate set and setting, it can be frightening.

When the Set and Setting is Right, even Westerners can enjoy TRANCE.

Apparently it is rather common in the West for youth to have such experiences spontaneously but as Maslow found most end up denying or forgetting them since they were experienced as a dangerous loss of self-control. I recall when I was around 10 or 11 having two experiences of this type; they both took place when I was on my own and in a large crowd of strangers.I did not freak out but, I remember being concerned about what was going on afterwards.As it turns out, my best childhood friend, a guy who was mature,smart and creative for his age, also had had similar experiences and also had a name (“trance”) for them.And so we would sometimes sit around and discuss our trance experiences.I recall that it was quite comforting to me to have a name for these experiences and to know that I was not the only one who had them.Although I did not think in these terms back then, I believe that my friend and I realized, at a rather early age, that what most people accept as normal consciousness is a limited way of being.I feel grateful to my friend for helping me attain this insight at such an early age; most kids seem to discover this later through the use of psychotropic drugs or not at all. I like to think that this friend was also responsible for my later academic interest in altered states of consciousness and in Eastern meditation practices.

So does meditation involve going into a trance?Again, it depends upon your definition but in Eastern spiritual disciplines the state is referred to as Samadhi and is sometimes translated as “trance”.It is understood that Samadhi is something that can vary in intensity but essentially involves the kind of slowing down or diminishing of left-brain thought processes that I described above.When this happens, one expands awareness or consciousness beyond the internal dialogue that is thought to be normal consciousness.From my understanding of the literature, this mode of consciousness, the awakened consciousness, will gradually become the normal, everyday consciousness of those who consistently practice meditation and other practices.Using the word trance to describe this state is misleading because of what we usually associate with this term (stupor, unconscious, sleep etc.).The Zen state does not necessarily entail a curtailing of left-brain activities but rather an opening up (See Fehmi’ on “Open focused experiences” by using SEARCH on this Site) to right brain activities in a balanced form (see James Olson”sThe Whole-Brain Path To Peace).Doing so allows one to respond to whatever is happening in the present moment and not be “ruled”, so to speak by old conditioned responses that govern the left-brain. This is what “mindfulness” is all about.

Whether or not we use the term “trance” to refer to these kinds of shifts in consciousness, I believe it is accurate to say that they can vary in intensity. It may be best to avoid that word altogether simply because it carries some negative connotations in the West where generally, at least until recently, right-brain thinking has been considered normal and variations away from this as problematic.I should add that such a shift can be problematic depending on the situation.As Charles rightly points out, moving out of right-brain attentiveness to a lecture can negatively affect a student’s grade.Stopping to groove to music being played in a department store while there is a fire is not a mindful choice.So, yes, what we are referring to as trances could be dangerous under certain circumstances.On the other hand, vigilantly maintaining a self-protective left-brained orientation can be harmful to one’s health

This leads back to the issues raise by both James and Charles regarding the function of repetitiveness in music and how this may affect mindful listening.However, the “Dronometer” on my computer is alerting me to the fact that this post has gone on too long.So, I plan to return to this at a later date.Before I sign off, let me just say that I believe that someone listening to music can experience this left to right brain shift that I have been talking about. There has to be a reason the music is a dominate form of entertainment in almost all cultures. The term “entertaining” has come to refer to anything that “engages or keeps our attention”.If we are attentive to (mindful of) what we are listening to we are not attending to (or listening to) the internal dialogue that comprises our left-brain thought processes.And so the degree to which we become entranced or mindful of a musical performance can vary greatly.In the next post, I want to look at what it might look like to consciously practice mindful listening and riff a little bit about James’ comment on the use of repetition in music.

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A Didgeridoo; a droning wind instrument developed by Indigenous Austrailians

The Drones are coming!The Drones are coming!The video below called “Dronology 101: Tongue in Cheek – Drool on Desk” is the first attack.

As you know my recent posts have been about the general topic of mindful listening.One thread of this exploration will entail playing with the nature of “drones” and how they relate to mindful listening. What kind of drones am I talking about? The dictionary provides a number of definitions for this term, some of which I’ve listed below.

1. an unmanned aircraft that can navigate autonomously.

2. a low monotonous sound; hum or buzz

3.to speak in a monotonous tone

4. to proceed in a dull, monotonous manner.

5.a continuous low tone produced by a musical instrument like bagpipes.

6.a genre of music using drone like instruments.

7.the male ofthe honeybee, stingless and making no honey.

8. a person who lives on the labor of others; a drudge.

Well, the answer is that I will most likely end up touching on all of these forms of drones.However, my investigation will always focus on musical droning.

Drone music is a minimalist style, that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sound, notes, or tone-clusters-called drones.It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations.Some examples of ethnic or spiritual music which contains drones includes bagpipe traditions, didgeridoo music in Australia, South Indian classical music, Japanese Gagaku tradition, and medieval European chants.Today, drone music is primarily created using digital processes; check out the online station, The Drone Zone at Soma FM.

The fact that this form of music, both traditional and contemporary, is seen as having a spiritual or consciousness- altering effect makes me wonder whether it can help induce what I have been calling “mindful listening”. This is of interest to me because typically, any sound that is unvarying can certainly induce boredom or sleepiness. Is it, I wonder, possible to produce art that has elements of this repetitiveness and monotony and still provide opportunities for the audience to attend mindfully?At this point I am not sure of the answer and so future posts will play with this question.As always, your comments will help with my investigation.

It seems appropriate to begin with the short music video which I have titled “Dronology 101- Tongue in Cheek – Drool on Desk.Let me know what your experience of this piece was like in the Reply Box. Be sure to turn up your volume and for better results use stereo speakers or headphones.

In case you were wondering about the phrase “Drool on Desk”, check out the wonderful film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

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My guest blogger today is Aaron Copland (1900-1990), one of the most respected American classical composers of the twentieth century. By incorporating popular forms of American music such as jazz and folk into his compositions, he created pieces both exceptional and innovative. As a spokesman for the advancement of indigenous American music, Copland made great strides in liberating it from European influence.Not only did he write symphonies, ballets and film scores, he was a scholar, critic, writer and teacher.The passage below is from one of his books called “What to Listen for in Music”. (Thanks to Jake Roshi for sending this my way.)Interspersed between quotes from Copland’s book, I have included some comments (in italics) that reflect some personal thoughts on his ideas.

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The first prerequisite for listening to music is so obvious that it almost seems ludicrous to mention, yet it is often the single element that is absent: to pay attention and to give the music your concentrated effort as an active listener.

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(As a musician, I might add that learning to pay attention to the sounds you are making is an essential skill in learning to play any instrument.In future posts, I will review a couple of books that make the case that mindfulness is key to masterful performance on any instrument)
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It is revealing to compare the actions of theater audiences to those of symphonic audiences. In the theater the audience listens with full attention to every line of the play, knowing that if important lines are missed understanding can be diminished-this instinctive attention is too often lacking in the concert hall.

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(This statement fascinates me as it makes me wonder whether composers/performers can do more to help make the audience listen more mindfully. This will be a theme I will return to in later posts. Since, of late I have been experimenting with pairing video with music, I found it interesting that John Cage wrote the following, in an essay describing his approach to sound and music:

Where do we go from here? Towards theatre.

That art more than music resembles nature. We have eyes as well as ears, and it is

our business while we are alive to use them.”

Pg. 12 in Silence by John Cage.

This suggests that the pairing of visual imagery and sound may be one way to foster mindfulness in the audience. Particularly, in the creation of music videos, this seems to raise the question of how to combine visual stimuli and sound in ways that one does not take precedence over the other. If the video portion has a strong narrative element to it , the music may become merely a backdrop much like a film score. On the other hand if the music is so compelling as to draw in most listeners, there may be no need for visuals at all. I am wondering whether music/videos can be created where the visual and sound aspects are equally important and mutually supportive in fostering mindful attentiveness on the part of the audience. This wondering will most likely be in my mind as I work on future projects.)

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One has but to observe listeners at a concert to witness the distractions of talking or reading or simply staring into space.

Only a small percentage are vitally concerned with the essential role of active listening.

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.(Remember the above was written years before the appearance of cell phones and other devices of distraction that prevail today.)
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This lack is serious because the listener is essential to the process of music; music after all consists of the composer, the performer and the listener. Each of these three elements should be present in the most ideal way. We expect a fine composition brilliantly performed, but how often do we think it should also be brilliantly heard?

The destiny of a piece of music, while basically in the hands of the composer and performer, also depends on the attitude and ability of the listener. It is the listener in the larger sense who dictates the ultimate acceptance or rejection of the composition and performer…Unfortunately for music, many listeners are content to sit in an emotional bath and limit their reaction to music to the sensual element of being surrounded by sounds. But the sounds are organized; the sounds have intellectual as well as emotional appeal.
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(I think Copland’s use of the term “intellectual” here is unfortunate. I don’t believe that he is suggesting that mindful listening entails protracted left-brain/discursive thinking. I believe it is more accurate to say that mindfulness entails “whole brain thinking” (Olson, The Whole-brain Path to Peace) or “open focused attention” (see earlier post called “HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY OPENED- FOCUS EXPERIENCE WHILE READING THIS POST!” ) where so called left and right brain processes are working interdependently. Langer seems to capture the so called “intellectual” aspect of mindfulness by describing it as “”drawing novel distinctions..”noticing new things” and “seeing the similarities in things thought different and the differences in thing taken to be similar”. (pgs. 5 and16, On Becoming an Artist, For more on Langer, use the blog search box, using her name or “mindfulness” )

Various mindfulness practices that accompany spiritual disciplines seem to encourage practioners not to be so immersed in left-brain thinking that they are out of touch with their right brains. Mindfulness practices thus helps to increase one’s awareness and sensitivity to feeling and emotions that were previously beyond awareness. However, my understanding is that the aim is to expand consciousness to include sensations often unnoticed but not necessarily to do away with the capacity for left brain functioning.

When we mindfully expose ourselves to visual art or music, having a grasp of the choices available to and made by the artist, is a part of our appreciating the art piece or performance. Appreciating an art piece does not necessarily entail “liking” it, but may involve having an understanding of the historical, social, and personal reasons why the work unfolds as it does, along with an awareness of how one personally is responding and why.

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The adventure of learning how to listen to music is one of the great joys of exposure to this art…Your efforts to understand more of what is taking place will be rewarded a thousand-fold in the intense pleasure and increased interest you will find.

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I believe that what Copland says above can be extrapolated to the benefits of mindfulness in all aspects of life, not just music.

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This week’s guest blogger is Jake Jiyu Gage, Roshi. He wrote a reply to my last post entitled “What Are You Presently Listening to?” Because his response was in the form of a poem, I decided to publish it as a post.Since poetry is one of the most useful expressions of a spiritual practioner’s inner experiences, there has been a close association of Zen and poetry throughout history. If you haven’t already, I would suggest that you read the previous post before enjoying the poem below. For those unfamiliar with Zen, the description of Koans, below the poem, may be helpful. Jake is

the founder of the The Vista Zen Center in Vista California.

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“What Am I Listening to Presently”

featuring Jake Jiyu Gage

and

The Hotei-ji Chamber Orchestra

(with special thanks to “System

of a Down”)

1700 Koans*

1700 Koans

Going off

All at once

In the Zen Symphony

Known as:

“What Am I presently listening to?”

Each Koan

Different:

In Name

In Number

In Collection Found

In Tone

In Duration

In Dynamics

In Frequency

In Beginning

In Middling

In Ending

In Trailing Off

In Disappearing

In Reappearing

In Main Case

In Commentary

In Capping Phrase

In Resolution

In Acceptance

Or

In Denial

Ring, Ring, Ring

In Starting Over

In Trying Again

In Gaining Acceptance

No Ringing

*Koans (from Chinese kung-an, literally “public notice,” or “public announcement”) are based on anecdotes of Zen (Chinese: Ch’an) masters. There are said to be 1,700 koans in all. The two major collections are the Pi-yen lu (Chinese: “Blue Cliff Records”; Japanese: Hekigan-roku), consisting of 100 koans selected and commented on by a Chinese priest, Yüan-wu, in 1125 on the basis of an earlier compilation; and the Wu-men kuan (Japanese: Mumon-kan), a collection of 48 koans compiled in 1228 by the Chinese priest Hui-k’ai (known also as Wu-men)

in Zen Buddhism of Japan, a succinct paradoxical statement or question used as a meditation discipline for novices, particularly in the Rinzai sect. The effort to “solve” a koan is intended to exhaust the analytic intellect and the egoistic will, readying the mind to entertain an appropriate response on the intuitive level. Each such exercise constitutes both a communication of some aspect of Zen experience and a test of the novice’s competence. A well known koan is: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”

Here is an old Zen story I just found that seems to relate to Roshi’s Poem.

The disciple was always complaining to his master, “you are hiding the final secret of Zen from me.” And he would not accept the master’s denials. One day they were walking in the hills when they heard a bird sing.

“Did you hear that bird sing?” said the master. “Yes” said the disciple.

“Well now you know that I have hidden nothing from you” “Yes.”

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